Going into this bout, Bradley was favoured over Campbell. It was thought that his youth and speed would see him through a tough fight with the 37 year old veteran. However, no one expected the fight to be over after three rounds.
What Happened in Bradley vs. Campbell?
In the first round, Bradley was excellent. He had a higher workrate than his foe, and worked the body well. In addition, he used angles to his advantage, making it hard for the slower Campbell to hit him. This was a near perfect round for Bradley, and he was better than Campbell in every area.
Nate may have nicked the second session though. While Bradley started well, towards the end of the round, the fighters stayed in close, and on the inside Campbell seemed to have a chance. He was landing some good uppercuts, before time was called on a very close round.
Round three was another big round for Bradley, and towards the end of the round, he had Campbell up against the ropes and in trouble. Campbell went back to his corner demoralised, but he wasn't going to have to come back out again.
Controversy With the Cut
During the round, there was an accidental clash of heads, which it seemed led to a bad cut over Nate Campbell's eye. That's what the Nate Campbell would have you think and the replay's seem to prove this to be correct.
In fact, this seems to be absolute brute fact now, and the only person disputing this is the referee, who came up with a lame excuse, saying that the cut could have been caused by a punch after the clash of heads. This is untrue, as there was only one punch after this clash, and when Bradley threw it, Campbell covered up the area that was cut.
Campbell was furious that the fight wasn't rendered a no decision, but the manner in which he went out of the fight was very unimpressive.
Campbell as soon as he got to his corner after the third round complained repeatedly about not being able to see, and put up no resistance against the fight being stopped. This was strange considering he dedicated this fight to Arturo Gatti - a known warrior who never quit for anything.
Where Now For Bradley and Campbell?
A rematch is very likely. Bradley would want this as Campbell fits perfectly with his style, and Campbell would like this as he wouldn't want to finish a fight like this on such a sour note. Also, it is a money spinner and right now, for Bradley, there are no realistic big fights out there for him right now.
Whether the decision was right or wrong, Bradley is still the WBO light welterweight champion. To be fair to Bradley as well, he probably would have won this anyway, and the signs from an early stage were that he would walk away victorious. However, this won't have been the kind of victory he wanted, and in his next fight, he will be looking to erase all memories of this with a stunning performance.
